Info on Angkor Wat
- It was one of 21 finalist for the New 7 wonders of the world
- It is the largest and most celebrated temple in the largest temple complex in the world
- It is inscribed as the UNESCO world’s heritage site since 1999
- Ranked by National Geographic as among the top 10 world wonders and “ 50 places of a Life time”
- It is ranked 13th among Hillman top 100 manmade & natural wonders
- The most stunning example of Hindu architecture in the world is to be seen in Cambodia and not in India
- Estimated over 200 Hindu temples in an area of 100 square miles, the largest concentration outside India
- It is a supreme human achievement showing an advanced appreciation of mass, space & geometrical composition
- Supreme masterpiece of Khmer architecture and the moat circumferencing the temple itself an engineering marvel
- Popular BBC TV serial “ Around the World in 80 treasures” ranks Angkor Wat as one of its top Treasures
More to Know
- Angkor Wat occupies a space in the Cambodian National flag
- Unlike all the temples which faces east, Angkor Wat faces west (the after life in Hinduism)
- Hollywood Blockbusters; Tomb Raider, Lord Jim, were shot in Angkor Wat
- Angkor Wat means “City Temple” Angkor is the vernacular form of the word nokor which comes from the Sanskrit word nagara (capital) while wat is the khmer word for temple
- The organization which preserves and maintains Angkor Wat is called Apsara
- Mount Meru is the name of the mountain that represents the 5 main towers of Angkor Wat
- Complex & highly sophisticated irrigation system is the single thing that allowed Khmer lived so prosperously at Angkor Wat, This system allowed 2 rice harvests a year instead of one
- The number of steps, windows and pillars in Angkor Wat are representative of the number of days in the solar & lunar calendars
- When the Frenchman Henry Mouhot discovered the temple in 1860 after it was abanded for a few centuries, the natives thought it could have been built by Gods or even Giants
- The official Language of Cambodia, Khmer is considerably influenzed by Sanskrit and Pali ( ancient Indian Language)
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